Transcript Interactive Multimedia Products

BTEC Unit 29 – Lesson 01
To Upgrade or Not Upgrade…
That is the Question
Mr L Challenor
ICT Teacher
www.TeachITwithMrC.co.uk
Session Objectives
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Understand the reasons why we install and upgrade software,
Understand factors which must take into consideration when
deciding on whether to go ahead with an installation or
upgrade.
Why change /
upgrade your
software??
Prompts for Change
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Problems with existing systems,
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Additional functionality required,
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New drivers, new OS
External prompts for software bug fixes,
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Sometimes an upgrade, sometime complete new installation
New hardware requiring new or upgraded software,
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Out-dated, vulnerable, no longer supported, incompatible
Often automatic updates to patch bugs
Other e.g. company policy
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Upgrade period, meet industry standards so compatible
Justifying Change
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Just because there is a prompt for change, it doesn't mean
that an organisation will do it.
Costs are involved including:
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However there are also benefits including:
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Cost of the software, training, down-time needed to install,
incompatibility issues
Easier to use, able to do more, improved system security
It is important that there is a good business case made for the
change to go ahead.
Perceived benefits must be shown to outweigh the costs
of the new software or upgrade before it can go ahead.
The Change Seesaw
X
Perceived costs
outweigh the
benefits
The Change Seesaw
Perceived
benefits outweigh
the costs
BTEC Book – Unit 29 pp4-5
P1, M1, D1 Evidence
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This task requires you to write a short report explaining the
rationale behind changing software.
P1 requires you to describe why you might consider to
upgrade software,
M1 needs you to explain the advantages and disadvantages of
installing and upgrading software,
For the award of D1 you need to use the content already
considered to justify why the antivirus software, used by the
charity needs upgrading.
P1 – describe the potential prompts that initiate the installation of
new or upgraded software
M1 - explain the advantages and potential disadvantages of
installation or upgrade of new software
D1 - justify a particular installation or upgrade
• For P1 a paragraph or two describing the different prompts which have been looked at
will meet this criterion – remember describe means give a detailed account.
• For M1 a table comparing the advantages and disadvantages of installations and
upgrades would help to meet this criterion. Explain means you need to give a reason
for a point being an advantage or disadvantage
• For D1 you need to apply the theory learnt in P1 and M1 to the situation given and
give a good business case for or against the upgrade. Think about as many of the
aspects covered in the unit so far and include them all within your recommendation.
Risks of Change
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Potential loss of service
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Downtime – depends of what doing
Time to adapt to new software – training required
Incompatibility issues
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Old application software not compatible with new OS
Drivers not compatible
Hardware not compatible
Old file formats not read by new software (unlikely as normally
backwards compatible)
Risk Reduction Measures
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Backups
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Install at low risk times
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Overnight, weekends, annual shut down – downtime doesn’t matter as
business not functioning - allows time to solve any problems without
pressure,
Incremental install
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Before you start make a backup of all data and software – can roll back
if goes wrong – using imaging software is good
Install on a few systems first then roll it out gradually across all. If
problems do arise only a few computers are affects not entre system,
Test it first
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Have a test environment which mimics the real system so can see the
effects before changes are rolled out
P2, D2 Evidence
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This task requires you to expand the short report written for
P1/M1/D1 which explains the rationale behind changing
software.
P1 requires you to describe the potential risks of installing or
upgrading software,
For the award of D2 you need to use evaluate the impact of
each risk (is it worth the risk or not??) and explain how the
effects of the risk could be minimised.
P2 – Describe the potential risks of installing or upgrading
software.
D2 - Evaluate the risks involved in the installation or upgrade of
software and explain how the risks could be minimised.
• P2 requires you to broadly consider what risks can occur rather than restricting the
purpose to a particular system.
• You can use the internet to research the risks of installing and upgrading software. To
achieve P2 you only need to write a paragraph to identify and describe each risk.
• D2 is likely to take the form of a written report – it needs to evaluate the risks and
explain how to minimise their effects. Remember evaluate means give an opinion
based on good and bad points whilst explain means give reasons